There are many situations in which it is desirable to have business forms with self contained labels, particularly continuous business forms.
The labels are provided on one part of the business form, while the rest of the form is used for imprinting or imaging other indicia. A typical such business form and method of production thereof are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,381, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. While the business form therein is advantageous for many situations, it does not have as high a degree of versatility as desired, and removing the labels from the forms can be difficult in some circumstances. Part of the problem with ease of removal of the labels is due to the fact that the release liner is substantially permanently adhered to the paper (cellulose) ply along the entire length of one edge thereof.
According to the invention, a business form with labels, and a method of construction of the form, are provided that have more versatility than the form as disclosed in the '381 patent, yet have all of the advantages thereof, and in fact even more advantages. The form according to the invention includes a cellulose ply larger than a second, release liner, ply, and the release liner ply may be provided so that one edge (e. g. with tractor drive holes therein) extends past a substantially parallel edge of the cellulose ply, and at the opposite edge of the release liner ply adhesive release material is provided along between about 10-50% of the length of the edge so that the release material covered portion of the edge is not substantially permanently adhered to the edge by the adhesive between the plies. This allows the labels die cut (or otherwise formed) in the cellulose ply where overlapped by the release liner to be removed from the back or the front, and also allows one to separate the release liner ply completely from the cellulose ply, if desired (after use) for ease of recycling since one can get a portion started which allows breaking of the "permanent" bond between the cellulose and the release liner where no release material is provided on the release liner.
According to one aspect of the present invention a business form is provided comprising the following components: A first substantially rectangular cellulose ply having first and second faces, and first and second substantially parallel side edges having a first length, and spaced a first distance from each other. A second substantially rectangular ply having first and second faces, and first and second substantially parallel side edges having a second length, and spaced a second distance. The second face of the second ply having adhesive release material over substantially the entire area thereof, except that no active release material is provided along a strip adjacent at least one of the first and second edges the strip having a length of about 50-90% of the second length. The second face of the second ply overlying the first face of the first ply with the first and second side edges of each substantially parallel to each other. And pressure sensitive adhesive between the first ply first face and the second ply second face to readily releasably hold the plies together where the adhesive engages the release material, and to substantially permanently hold the plies together where the second ply overlaps the first ply and there is no active adhesive release material on the second ply second face.
The first ply preferably has at least one label formed therein by die cuts or lines of weakness (such as perforations or score lines) where the first ply overlies the second ply, and an end portion of the second ply at the second edge includes active adhesive release material. A strip having no active release material is preferably provided only along the second edge of the second ply, and the first edge of the second ply preferably extends past the first edge of the first ply so that the plies do not overlap at an exposed strip at the first edge of the second ply. The exposed strip typically has tractor drive holes formed therein, and the second distance is between about 25-40% of the first distance (e.g. about 30-35%).
The second ply first and second edges are preferably between the first ply first and second edges, and the second ply may have strips having no active release material along both the first and second edges of the second ply. The second distance may be, for example, at least 20% less than the first distance. The strip with no active release material is typically formed by strip coating the second ply so that no release material at all is provided at the strip.
The form according to the invention may have a third ply like the second ply only disposed in association with the first ply second face, with adhesive between the third ply second and the first ply second face. The first edge of the second ply typically extends past the first edge of the first ply so that the plies do not overlap at the exposed strip at the first edge of the second ply. The second ply may be completely within the area encompassed by the first ply.
According to another aspect of the present invention a method of making a business form is provided comprising the following steps: (a) Forming a first cellulose material ply in web form, the first ply having first and second faces, and first and second substantially parallel side edges. (b) Forming a second ply in web form, the second ply having first and second faces and first and second substantially parallel side edges. (c) Skip coating adhesive release material on said second ply second face so that it substantially covers said second ply second face except along an edge strip adjacent at least one of said first and second side edges, to provide at least one edge strip with no adhesive release material, which strip has a length which is less than the entire length of a said side edge. (d) Applying pressure sensitive adhesive to at least the majority of the second face of the second ply, including at said edge strip. (e) Bringing the second face of the second ply into juxtaposition with the first face of the first ply so that the plies at least partially overlap and the edge strip of the second ply is between both the first and second edges of the first ply, and so that the adhesive readily releasably holds the first and second plies together except at the edge strip, where the adhesive substantially permanently holds the first and second plies together. And (f) forming at least one label in the first ply where the first ply overlaps the second ply and is adhesively held thereto.
Step (d) may be practiced so as not to apply adhesive along the first edge of the second ply, and step (b) may be practiced so as to provide the first edge of the second ply extending outwardly from the first edge of the first ply. Step (b) may be practiced so as to form tractor drive holes along the second ply first edge, and step (e) may be further practiced so that the tractor drive holes extend outwardly from the first edge of the first ply. Step (c) may be practiced to produce an edge strip having a length of about 50-90% the length of the second edge of the second ply, and step (c) may be practiced to provide an edge strip with no adhesive release material along both the first and second edges of the second ply.
According to another aspect of the present invention a business form is provided produced by the method steps (a) through (f) as described above.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a particularly advantageous business form with self-contained labels, and an advantageous method of manufacture thereof. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.